Well it’s official. They’re having a percussion audition at the St. Louis Symphony. Those are words that haven’t been uttered in a generation. No really. I think the last opening was in 1971. That’s a good long while. I was but a tike. So dust off your excerpt books everybody and dive into the candidate pool!

UPDATE: Nov. 6, 2007

Faithful readers will know that I was going to take this audition. I busted my hump for months pretty much every spare minute. Alas, I did some damage to my right hand. It’s very strange. It sort of seizes up. It doesn’t hurt and it’s not numb but it takes so long to get warmed up that I ended up with very little time to actually practice excerpts. Several folks have told me it’s due to overuse. Sigh.

UPDATE: Dec. 11, 2007

The new Principal Percussionist of the St. Louis Symphony is (drum roll please–I’m sorry that’s really cheesy) William James of the New World Symphony. Congratulations William and please keep me in mind when you need a helping stick on the triangle. Seriously.

Posted on: August 12, 2007, by : Ted